Some Windsor youngsters are getting a new set of wheels.
Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Windsor-Essex received 40 new bikes with helmets to hand out to kids in need.
Waste Connections of Canada raised near $6,000 for the cause.
Program Director Rose Culmone says it was far more than she could have ever imagined.
"I initially thought probably three or four bikes, but then they came back with $5,797 and told us they were purchasing 40 bikes with helmets," says Culmone.
Waste Connections of Canada district manager Steve McArthur says employees raised nearly $3,000 on their own and the company matched every penny. He told AM800 News, raising money wasn't the only objective — employees were involved in the process to the very end to give back to the community.
McArthur says watching the excitement was priceless.
"We purchased them over at Canadian Tire over in Amherstburg and were able to get the bikes and helmets," says McArthur. "Then we actually had an event at our facility for our employees to come and actually build the bikes. It gets us together to give back just a little bit more in that way."
A new bike is an amazing thing for a child who otherwise couldn't afford one, according to Culmone.
They're fun, but she says it means more to kids than people may think.
"That's going to increase their independence," says Culmone. "It's going to offer a lot of opportunities for them in the summer because if they can't get somewhere they're not going to go, or they're not going to be able to do those activities, and it's going to increase their self confidence. They were definitely overjoyed."
McArthur says Waste Connections of Canada's parent company has raised money for similar programs throughout North America for the past 15 years. This is their first time fundraising in Windsor-Essex.